My Turn

OK, it's my turn for suckouts :)

Felicia and I went to Riverside for cash games again, but then ended up at the Palms for the 8pm tournament.

We started out the night at Riverside to try to get Felicia's O8 game going. Not long after we got there, they started up the table. I guess people have been itching to play, after not having a game all week. They only had 6 names on the list, but the floor called the game (me included, only to start the game, then I high-tailed it out). Before the game even started, the table was full. Floor started calling names for a HE game too and asked if I still wanted on the list. Yes! Don't know why, but I can't win at that $2-6 spread limit Omaha8 game. Seeing the O8 table full, I told Felicia I was going to take the open seat. They even were able to fill my seat before the game started. All week couldn't get a game going, but they really came outta the woodwork last night!

I was called to a $2-6 HE game and made a little before going into a NLHE game. I limped in later position with AKo and had my first suckout of the night (suppose you could call it "re-suck"). There are some people who will raise to the full $8 with AK (2 to come in, you can raise 6 at anytime, to make it 8 to go), but I usually only raise AK in early position in this game. One thing I've learned about 2-6, if there are enough people already in the game, people will call anything. They think they have the odds, based on the people who called, but they DON'T when they originally came in for only called 2. They just don't understand. In some ways, this is good. When you have a premuim pair, they're making the biggest mistake. But when it's AKo, where your odds are severely lessened by having multiple callers, it really does no good. I've seen people lose a ton because they'll keep firing with Ace-high. These donkeys just don't know to fold top pair.

On the flop, it's KTx, and I get bet into for $2. OK, my first mistake. I figure it's someone with QJo looking for a cheap card, or a weak King, so I raise it to 8. I hear her saying something like, "we must have the same thing". That does NOT sound like QJo! Hmm. I figure if she has a set, she's raising me back, and we definitely do NOT have the same thing. I might have been in trouble, until the Ace on the turn. She checks, I bet, and she just calls. OK, not QJo, and prolly not AK, she might have raised or bet either of those holdings. River brings a possible flush and I check behind (even though I don't put her on the hand, now there's the flush and the straight that she could have been drawing with). She shows KTo for the flopped top two. I show my AKo for my 're-suck' and take it down with the turned top two.

In a little while, I get called for the NLHE game. No max buy-in, 2/5 blinds. I'm listening to Dee and Russ and they're talking about the game from last night. Said it was wild. One hand was bet the whole way; someone called a $300 river bet with AK-high. They didn't tell me if it held, since I was just listening in, but sounds good. After the ME, I'm going to have to sit in on these games more often :)

For my next trick, I will perform a one-outer!

Russ, one of the wealthy locals, cold-calls $80 preflop from Ernie, one of the dealers sitting in the game. Flop comes J55 with two hearts and Ernie puts out a stack of red. Russ puts him AI (all-in) and Ernie calls. Although it's not a tournament, there's no slow-rolling here. Russ says, "I'm on a draw", and turns over Ah9h; seems he kinda thought he could win the hand by the push. Ernie turns over TT and must have known his tricks, calling with an over card on the flop. Turn is a heart, and Ernie moans and hits the ATM.

Two hands later, after Dee and Russ are saying "Oh, man, he's going to be AI, AI, now," (referring to Ernie) I'm in the blind with 84o. Ernie is in the hand. Flop is A84 rainbow, and with no raise pre, only like 20 in the pot, Ernie says "AI". Gets to me and I call, thinking that he must have limped with AK or AQ. Nope, A8o... ouch. Blank turn, 4 on the river. Guy to my right, not wanting to say anything before hand, says, "That's the last one, I folded a 4". For once, I'm the one getting the one-outer. Ernie hits up the ATM again.

Felicia comes over not too long after and reminds me to call the Palms to ask about their tournament, since she says her game is no good and I need more tournament experience. Find out that they do have some people signed up, so we end up heading over.

There were a bunch of new players who didn't know what they were doing. Man, talk about lucky. We arrived at the right situation. Majority of the time, you just bet, and they'll fold. Felicia got trapped three times on her first table. Once, in her free play BB, a guy caught trips on the flop and checked. Queen on the turn pairs Felicia and when he checked again, she bet. Bet the river, too, but not too much, because she had no kicker, and he just calls. She turns over 2pair, and he turns over a full-house, with Q3 under-the-gun, LOL. Never raised. We figure he just really didn't understand the monster that he had.

I got slow played in the blind about midway through. Just me in the BB and the SB limps. AT8 flop and SB checks. I have JTo so make about a 2/3rd's bet. He calls. Turn is a Jack, he checks again, and I bet again. I was watching his eyes, and I felt he had something when he called the flop, but after I turned two pair, I figured, well, let's see how strong he is. I doubled my bet from the previous round, and he just calls again. On the river, since there was a straight possible, I just checked behind. He shows me top pair of Aces, but I show my two pair to take the pot. Sucked out again :p Ye 'olde "making my own luck." I think this was a good set up for later though; I bet, I have something.. riiiight ;)

Once again I didn't get a heck of a lot during the early part of the tournament, but then started getting hands during the later stages. Plus, got a bit of Axs hands that I used to steal. Once I did the "See? I have a hand when I'm raising" and showed an AQs to the BB who was short. This again helped my image, allowing me to steal the blinds a bit more then I usually do.

I think I ended up taking out a couple people, plus the blind steals, and I had a good stack. With only 16 total people who entered (in Laughlin, a $125 event is big dough), Felicia and I ended up at the final table together. She was a little short, being cold-decked, but almost tripled up with QQ vs. 55 and an unknown hand--the first PFR folded). A few others knocked themselves out, and we were down to 5.

SB completes the blind against the BB and they see a flop of TT9. SB checks and BB (who was really short for a while, but had been going AI enough to get his chips back up a little) goes AI and SB insta-calls. SB shows T5o and BB shows A9o. (Way to raise BB, lol, this is the same guy who tried to slow play me ;) BB says "nice hand" and figures he's toast, until it comes runner 9's to give him quads! SB is shocked, but takes it well. Not long after he's out and we're in the money!

I end up knocking Felicia out with AK vs her 66 (can't wait to see what she says in my comments -grin-) and I have a good lead over the other two. Billy, folding his blinds a little too often ends up going AI vs my blind, but for so little more, I call blind. I think he had me high carded, but I pair and it's HU.

Him playing me HU was like me trying to play Phil Ivey. I pretty much ran over him as I'd expect Ivey to run over me. I doubled him up a couple times when I tried to knock him out when he had only one chip left. Both times I put in the last chip blind, but he won each time. Finally, 3rd time was the charm; he limped again, and I had 77, a real hand for once, that held up and I won.

I finally got to play one out to the end. Felicia and I actually asked if they wanted to chop once we got in the money, but the others didn't want to. OK by me, good practice :)

While I 'effectively' won the one the other night, when we chopped 3-way while I had the chip lead, I really did win this one. Good feeling.

Glenn

Posted by Glenn